26/01/2014

Sandy's, Austin Nagar, Alwarpet - Version 2.0

15:27:00


Loads of people have told me, that my blog seems to be mostly as  non-veggie's delight. People have complained stating that the blog has very little to offer the veggies. So I have taken a step and had a all veggie lunch at a Non-Veggies food paradise, namely Sandy's.


Food:
To start off the veg innings, we had French Fries. It was more of Chilli French Fries, served with tomato ketchup. An absolute bliss, definite diet for people in depression. Works well, Cures all ailments. Since Sandesh warned us that the main course could be huge by itself and we would not be able to finish it, we moved to the mains.



For the mains my friend ordered 3 Cheese Ravioli while I stuck to tried and tested Penne with Arrabbiata Sauce. 3 Cheese Ravioli was simply fabulous and reminded me of the time when I had dined at Fresca. The Ravioli is best eaten in one piece, I would not advice you to cut it down as the cheese oozes out. The entire goodness of the dish is lost.  Also point to note is that the portion can be quite small for some people like me.


The Penne with Arrabbiata Sauce is loaded with veggies such as tomato & broccoli. Every bite brings out the richness of the fresh tomato  which is the highlight of the dish. This is definitely a full portion even by my standards. One should feel stuffed after consuming just that.


After mains, we contemplated on having another round of mains, but then the desserts were really inviting so we moved ahead and ordered a Tiramisu and Blackforrest jar delights. Tiramisu was nice, but I somehow missed the glass version of the same. I felt the old version contained a bit more moist than this.While the Blackforrest in a  jar was a definite first for me. It was chocolaty and delicious.

Sandy's is definitely a killer. When you are feeling low,  one visit here should help you out.

Ambiance:
The day I was here, they had somekind of outdoor event, so we had to dine inside. I really did not mind it as it was quite sunny.

Service:
A typical Sandys affair, very attentive.

Price:
Prices on the menu seem to have taken a small spike in the version 2.0. But the entire menu looks and feels new. No two dishes have the same meat in it. I definitely would go back to try some of the new non-veg additions
This meal for two cost us Rs 1450/- .

Food : 8/10
Ambiance: 7/10
Service: 8/10
Price : 7/10

Sandy's Austin Nagar is located behind Mainland China, Cenataph Road.

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*A review about a place holds good only for 6 months as there can be a change in quality and quantity of the food, the service and the staff, due to reasons best known only to them. So kindly consider these factors while visiting the places.

21/01/2014

Courtyard Marriott, Anna Salai, Chennai - Eclair & Coffee

17:33:00



The name Courtyard Marriott brings to mind. "Courtyard of the Backyard of the Marriott" comedy quip of RJ Balaji on BigFM. Jokes apart, Courtyard Marriott has launched a new coffee time combo which is worth checking out.




The Combo is called Eclair & Coffee and is priced at Rs399+taxes
It comprises off:
1.Classic Chocolate Eclair
2.Mixed Berry Eclair
3.Dark Chocolate & Orange Eclair
4.Chocolate and Almond Eclair
5.Salted Caramel and Coffee Eclair

It's a platter of eclairs with a  wide variety of flavors to please everyone's taste buds.

My pick of the lot was the Dark Chocolate & Orange Eclair and the Salted Caramel & Coffee Eclair.

For the coffee you get to choose from various world class coffees.
1. Kumbakonam Coffee
2. Colombian Coffee
3. Ethiopian Coffee
4. Rajgiri Pearl
5. Coorg Blend



I am pretty sure one would love this combo whether, as a coffee time snack or as a dessert after a meal or even as a business conversation snack.

The Eclair and Coffee is available at both Paprika and Rhapsody from 11am to 11pm.

Courtyard Marriott is located on Anna Salai next to Manyavar

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*A review about a place holds good only for 6 months as there can be a change in quality and quantity of the food, the service and the staff, due to reasons best known only to them. So kindly consider these factors while visiting the places.


18/01/2014

QT Grills, Gandhinagar, Adyar

19:15:00

I have always been taught and learnt to have desserts after food. But this time a group of foodies stepped out to have an eclair platter and coffee at Marriott.  Some of us were still hungry after this. A small picture of a burger on Facebook sealed the deal and we were lured to dine at QT Grills.




Food:
Since we all decided to have a small bite instead of going for full portions we picked up a Cheese Burger and BBQ Beef Burger and finally a Garden Medallion. Cheese Burger was beef burger with a layer of Cheese served with French Fries, a bit a coleslaw and fresh veggies. While the BBQ Beef Burger had the same beef patty with a dash of BBQ sauce. Finally the Garden Medallion for the only veggie among the group, was a veggie in a carbs loaded potato served with mashed potato and a piece of bread. 



The highlight of the dish was the sauce in which it was served in. Of the two beef burgers I would definitely pick the BBQ Beef burger because of the added juiciness.

Ambiance:
Looked like a decent copy of Sparkys. I must say I loved the retro tracks played here.

Service:
Service was a little slow, but I definitely would not mind as the round of desserts was already in my belly.

Price:
This is finally the shocker. 2burgers and a Veg steak cost us Rs 570/- after taxes. I definitely would not mind driving all the way to have these delicious burgers.

Food - 7.5/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Service - 6/10
Price - 8/10

QT Grills is in the Gandhinagar service lane right next to Naidu Hall.

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*A review about a place holds good only for 6 months as there can be a change in quality and quantity of the food, the service and the staff, due to reasons best known only to them. So kindly consider these factors while visiting the places.

14/01/2014

Chap Chay, Raintree, St. Marys Road, Alwarpet

17:05:00


Looks like Chennai is growing up fast. From multi-cuisine restaurants,  Chennai is slowly but surely moving towards speciality restaurants. I always thought of Chap-Chay as just another Chinese restaurant. But great reviews from many people  kindled a burning desire in me to dine here. Wolaa!  A friend's B'day treat, and we decided on the this place for an extravagant dinner.



Food:
Since we were a group of eight and the dinner only had Stir-Fry as main course, we decided on ordering some starters. Of the group of eight, two were veggies. They sat in the far end of the table, and I had no clue to what they had ordered. While the non-veggies, ordered 2 portions of Chicken Satay, 2 portions of Mixed Dimsum Basket and finally a portion of Crispy Lamb.





The Chicken Satay, I felt it was a tad dry but with the help of the sauce, it felt better. Next to be served was the Crispy Lamb. It was quite deadly. An absolute must have. Lamb lovers will rave about it for days. Finally the Mixed Dimsum Basket ! The basket comprised of Chicken Dimsum, Lamb Dimsum and finally Prawn Dimsum. Of the lot, I loved both the Chicken and the Lamb. While the prawn was nice, it just could not beat the Lamb. To quench our thirst, we ordered different mocktails. Mine was Cinnamon Iced Coffee. I am a coffee lover, this was just the way I would like a coffee mocktail. Others ordered different mocktails, but I liked mine the best!




Now coming to the Stir-Fry, unlimited main course. This is priced at Rs 699+taxes,  comprises of 12 different veggies, 7 different non-veggies ( Chicken, Chicken Sausages, Lamb, Tenderloin, Basa Fish, Red Snapper and Scallops) and 4 different noodles. Then to top that you have 3 different spice grades with 6 sauces each and you can add egg to it if you want. Wow!! Phew!!!! Its mind numbing the combinations which could be obtained by mixing them. But I would best recommend one to listen to chefs suggestion as not all sauces go well with all the meats. I had 2 rounds of the stir fry while the company settled for one. I tried one round with various veggies and snapper with Flat Rice Noodles tossed with Chili Hoisin Sauce. This was quite simply the best and for the next round I chose the same veggies and noodles but went with Chicken and Kung Pao sauce, finally asked for a dash of crispy nuts. Very different from the 1st, but great in its own right.

Since it was my friends B'day treat, the restaurant threw in B'day cake (with sparkler) which was quite enough to stuff us.

In my opinion, keep the starters to a bare minimum, try the various combinations at the Stir-Fry bar. I am pretty sure one would not become satisfied and would keep returning  for more.

Ambiance:
The ambiance here looks like a mix of Chinese and 'Koffee With Karan Set' with a wall decked up with cups. Waiting to be autographed?

Service:
The service is simply superb, I have never experienced such an attentive bunch. Also they are not intrusive to break your privacy.

Price:
After small discount with my friend's F&B Card, the grand total was Rs10,780 for the group of eight, which works out to Rs 1400+  per person.

Food - 8/10
Ambiance - 8/10
Service - 9/10
Price 8/10

There is also a buffet with starters, stir-fry and desserts on Sunday's for lunch priced at Rs799/-

Chap Chay is located inside Raintree, St. Mary's Road.

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*A review about a place holds good only for 6 months as there can be a change in quality and quantity of the food, the service and the staff, due to reasons best known only to them. So kindly consider these factors while visiting the places.

05/01/2014

Tangerine, Murray Gate Road, Alwarpet

16:46:00



Tangerine was once a frequent hang-out joint during my under-grad days. But now it has been over 2 years since I last visited it. A short spell of lackluster fare here and the sudden growth of new restaurants to dine at in Chennai, meant bounty-full options to choose from.  So the two 2 year hiatus! I was at Tangerine  recently, to gorge on some lovely sizzlers.





Food:
A group of three for dinner meant 3 sexy enticing delicious sizzlers to taste relish. For starters we had a portion of French Fries. Something about Tangerine and Potato, it makes an instant attraction. Crispy fries, which went down our throat in no time. I got myself a Shanks Blend to quench my thirst, while my friends had Pepsi and Ice Tea.




Shanks blend is from the specials menu, an absolute must order. Its a blend of Apple, Pineapple and various other fruit juices blended to give a magical sweet taste. For mains we had ordered a Stuffed Chicken Bruno, a Mixed Grill and finally Mixed Vegetable Sizzler.

The Stuffed Chicken was my order and I would highly recommend it to people who love their steaks dunked and marinated in a Cheesy medium and stuffed with Spinach. Every bite is a bite of heaven. The Mixed Grill comprises of Grilled Chicken, Beef and Chicken Sausages in red wine. Very tasty for people who want a mix of different meat. Finally coming to the Mixed Vegetable Sizzler which contained Paneer and other veggies marinated in Indian chutney kind of sauce, which was distinctly Indian. By the end of it all this, we were too stuffed to even think of desserts.

Ambiance:
The ambiance still remains the same, even after many years. Dim lights with paintings on the wall.

Service:
The service remains very good, very much similar to what I had experienced 2yrs ago.

Price:
The price has definitely increased. Its double of what we used to pay 2yrs ago. This meal for 3 cost us Rs 1850/-. Still good value for money.

Food - 8/10
Ambiance - 8/10
Service - 8/10
Price - 8/10

Tangerine is located in Murray Gate Road which is the road parallel to Eldams Road.

If you like what you are reading, Please share it with others.

*A review about a place holds good only for 6 months as there can be a change in quality and quantity of the food, the service and the staff, due to reasons best known only to them. So kindly consider these factors while visiting the places